


we fell in love in october

by 976



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Autumn, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Underage Smoking, We fell in love in October, jaemin is mentioned like once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26023720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/976/pseuds/976
Summary: Donghyuck is the autumn. He’s the sound of fallen leaves crunching under heavy steps, the smell of maple-scented pinecones outside of the grocery store.Donghyuck is the slow exhale of cigarette smoke on the roof of Mark’s home, burrowing his face into the other’s shoulder.Maybe that’s why Mark fell in love so quickly.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 26





	we fell in love in october

**Author's Note:**

> notes:  
> \- mark and hyuck are 19 in this fic  
> \- hyuck is taller than mark in this one  
> \- cw for underage smoking

Donghyuck’s house feels like home to Mark. It’s where he watched his best friend grow up, and where he found his first love. 

He met Donghyuck when they were 12, when he moved from Canada to Jeju. Donghyuck became his first and closest friend, the first rock in his life. 

Throughout their middle school and high school career, Mark became more and more sure that he was in love with Donghyuck. Maybe it was the sparkles in his eyes, the way his laugh made Mark’s chest shake, or the way his hair always seemed to fall just right over his face. 

“What’re you looking at?” 

Mark snapped out of his gaze, shaking his head and chuckling. “Nothing, Hyuckie. Do you wanna go to the roof?”

The roof was their safe haven. If they had a rough day, or simply just needed to see each other, they went to the roof of Donghyuck’s home. And in more recent visits, they’d smoke a cigarette or two.

Donghyuck nodded, sliding a knit sweater over his head and grabbing Mark’s wrist. 

Climbing out of his window, Donghyuck smiled back at Mark. He reached his hand out, supporting him while he slid his feet off of the railing and onto the roofing. 

“Want a light?” Mark nods, letting Donghyuck light his cigarette. Breathing in, he looked over at his friend. 

Donghyuck really is gorgeous. His hair barely covers his eyes, and his sweater makes his tan skin shine in the moonlight. 

He exhales, watching the smoke blow in front of his face. He sees smoke drift over from his left, as Donghyuck let his breath go. 

For some reason, Mark finds himself entranced looking at his best friend. He knows he‘s in love, but it’s moments like this that make his heart stop. It‘s something about the fall months that make it so hard to ignore his feelings. As the weather starts to cool, and the colors of the world turn warm, he finds himself enamored. 

Donghyuck glances over, catching Mark’s gaze. With no words, he scoots over to lean his head on the other’s shoulder. Mark takes another drag of his cigarette, putting his left arm around Donghyuck’s waist. 

They sit like that, watching the night sky in silence.

* * *

Walking into school, Donghyuck searches for Mark in the crowded hallways. 

Seeing Mark’s bright eyes meet his from across the hall always reminds him of the first day they met. He always keeps the same childlike aura, despite being undoubtedly more mature. 

Donghyuck lets out a small chuckle once Mark finds his eyes in the crowd, pushing through to meet him. 

He lets Mark loop his arm around his, while the older talks about his plans for the day. It puts a smile on his face. And if the smile on his face is accompanied by butterflies in his stomach, he’s sure it isn’t because of Mark. 

Once Mark has finished describing what classes are on his schedule today, Donghyuck looks over. “Mark, do you wanna go to the pumpkin patch after school?”

The older smiles, nodding. 

“I’d love to, Hyuck. Should we meet at my house or yours?”

“Y’know what? I’ll pick you up after your last class today. Does that sound good?”

Mark nods, continuing to walk (arms still around Donghyuck’s) down the hallway.

* * *

Mark bounces his leg up and down, watching the clock during the final minutes of the school day. Even just thinking about visiting pumpkin patch with Donghyuck made his heart soar. 

He wasn’t sure what made him so fond of the autumn, and how it managed to accelerate his feelings for Donghyuck by a tenfold. Maybe it’s the fact that they had met in the fall, at the start of a school year. Or maybe it’s the way the reddened leaves on the trees complimented Donghyuck’s warm skin. 

Either way, to Mark, Donghyuck _is_ the fall. He‘s the crunch of fallen leaves under combat boots, the smell of maple-scented pinecones outside of the grocery store. He’s the taste of caramel apples at the town fair, the feeling of wearing a knit sweater and huddling close to your friends. 

His heart is racing and his hands are shaking, watching the clock tick down the final seconds remaining in his class. 

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1-_

Mark is out of the door the second he hears the bell ring. He tries to remember which class Donghyuck had for his last period, snapping out of his trance when he feels a hand on his shoulder. 

“WHOA- oh my god, Donghyuck. You scared me there,” Mark startles. 

“Sorry, dude. My last class was cancelled so I decided to wait for you.”

Mark lifts his eyebrow in disbelief, before grabbing Donghyuck’s hand and taking him to the nearest exit. 

“You seem really excited, M-“

“I AM! I love the fall so much, Hyuck. I’m so excited.”

Donghyuck looks down at the older boy, who’s nearly vibrating with excitement. He smiles earnestly, letting Mark drag him by the hand to his car. 

“C’mon, Donghyuck! We gotta get there early!”

Mark feels a little embarrassed for being so needy, but he knows the other doesn’t mind. 

The drive to the patch is filled with laughter and soft music, as Mark rants on his love for the fall months. Donghyuck listens with a fond smile, nodding along to whatever the younger has to say. 

And is the fond smile is accompanied by a burning feeling in his heart, it _might_ be because of Mark.

* * *

As they pull into the muddy ‘parking lot’ of the pumpkin patch, Donghyuck feels ecstatic. Mark’s overbearing joy about all the activities there were to do seemed to spread into the younger’s heart. 

Although Donghyuck is the younger of the two, he always views Mark to have a much more child-like spirit. He admires it, genuinely. Mark is such a source of happiness in his life, always there to smile his way into Donghyuck’s heart. 

“Hyuck-ah, lets go get some candy apples! Or maybe some kettle corn,” Donghyuck looks over to Mark, seemingly deep in thought about which sweet he would get at the snack booth. 

“Why not both?”

“You’re a genius. Let’s do it!”

Mark grabs his hand, intertwining his fingers with Donghyuck’s, and begins to run. The older tries to ignore the warmth that spreads through his body when the other giggles, running behind him. 

They stop in front of the snack booth, smiling ear to ear. Mark gives Donghyuck a look that the younger can’t quite decipher before they turn to walk into the small candy store. 

Mark watches as the younger browses the store, admiring how his eyes light up when he sees a snack he’s never tried before. A feeling of warmth settles in the stomach as he thinks,

_This is the man I love._

Although he’s come to terms with his feelings, it still feels a tad bit weird to think about it. It’s his best friend that he’s in love with. He sometimes fears for what his feelings could do to their relationship, but he pushes the thought out of his head before he can think too hard about it. 

Donghyuck looks up, having chosen a bag of kettle corn and a cup of warm cider. “You ready to go, hyung?”

It’s then that Mark realises he has been staring at Donghyuck so intently he forgot to grab his own food. 

Chuckling, he says, “Almost. Wait for me while I go find the caramel apples.”

He returns a minute later, with said caramel apple and a matching cup of warm cider. As they approach the cash register, Mark sees Donghyuck reaching for his wallet. 

He reaches over, stopping the younger’s hand. “I’ll pay for it. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure Mark? I can get it.”

“I’m sure, Hyuck. You paid for the gas to get here, I can get this.”

Donghyuck watches as Mark smiles at the cashier, paying for both of their snacks. He turns back, once again grabbing his hand and leading them out of the shop. 

“What do you wanna do next? I was thinking we could go finish eating and then go to the slides,” Donghyuck says. 

“That sounds nice. WAIT, dude do you remember when Jaemin got stuck on the slide because his boot stuck out of the potato sack?” Mark asks, laughing his way through the question. 

Instinctively, Donghyuck reciprocates the laugh, nodding and giggling. And the butterflies in his stomach are _definitely because of Mark._

The pair walk over to a picnic table overviewing a field of pumpkin vines. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Donghyuck pipes up. 

The view really is rather nice. Despite the sky being gray and the air being chilly, it oddly fits the mood of the pumpkin patch. The scene fills his chest with warmth, even if his hands are freezing. 

Mark fights back the urge to say _“you’re even prettier,”_ and decided to just nod in agreement. 

Again, they sit in comfortable silence. The view was pretty, but maybe not as pretty as each other.

* * *

The cloudy gray skies had slowly turned into the familiar night sky they had grown to love. The moonlight shined down on Donghyuck’s skin as beautifully as Mark remembers. 

They had explored the entire patch, now sitting on a porch swing that (conveniently) was not on a porch. Donghyuck rubbed his thumb over the back of Mark’s hand, leaning his head against the older’s shoulder. 

It’s a familar position, almost identical to how they sat on the roof of Donghyuck’s house. 

Mark kept his gaze steady on the crown of Donghyuck’s head. The glow of the moon created almost a halo on the top of his golden hair, matching his ethereal existence. 

“Hey, Donghyuck,” Mark wasn’t sure what he was going to say. Why did he say his name? What was he going to do?

Donghyuck lifted his head from Mark’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes. He tilts his head to the side, confused. 

Before Mark can realize what he’s doing, his hand is cradling the side of Donghyuck’s jaw. 

“What are you doing?”

Mark doesn’t answer, his eyes tracing Donghyuck’s features. After a minute of silence, in a low voice, he asks “Can I kiss you?”

Donghyuck stills, processing what’s happening. In a second, he’s nodding and inching closer to his friend. (Are they still ‘friends’?)

Mark leans in slowly, Donghyuck leans forward, until suddenly there’s no more space between them. 

Donghyuck takes a second to reciprocate the kiss, but when he does, it’s heaven on Earth. 

All Mark can feel, think, and taste is _Donghyuck._ Is this really happening? And oh my god, it is. 

The feeling in Donghyuck’s chest is indescribable, and all he could ever want. 

The kiss is slow, and soft. Mark smiles into the kiss, running his hand into Donghyuck’s hair. The younger takes it as a cue to deepen the kiss, scooting closer to Mark and resting his hands on his waist. 

They break away, resting foreheads against each other. After a few second, they can’t help but laugh. 

Through his chuckle, Mark says “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. Have you?”

Donghyuck thinks for a second, “I think. I didn’t really realize until today that that’s how I actually felt towards you.”

Mark smiles, leaning in for another kiss. 

Donghyuck smiles before meeting Mark’s lips once again. 

_**We fell in love in October.** _


End file.
